77. Kotaro, the Bully
As strange as Gozo was, his skill was undeniable. Even the staff he'd made hadn't broken after all those fights. If anything, it only had scratches from Kamanue's claw attacks.
Yes, Gozo truly made good blunt weapons.
After giving Gozo his specifications, Kotaro left the shed, leaving him to craft the weapon. A three-section staff is quite easy to make compared to a blade. To create a proper Nichirin Blade, it has to be tempered many times to be sharp enough to slice through a demon's neck in one strike.
Blunt weapons, however, don't need that much finesse. But they do need to be strong—unbreakable yet light, as light as possible.
That's where the challenge for the three-section staff arose. Each segment of the staff needed to be strong yet light, with toughness comparable to his current staff. It was a bit of a problem, but given Gozo's confidence, Kotaro decided to trust him. After all, he didn't have any other options.
For now, he walked elsewhere, spinning a wooden three-section staff (a weapon Gozo had whipped up at Kotaro's request). It would take Gozo some time to make his weapon, so shouldn't he get some training in to make sure he could wield it as skillfully as possible?
After asking Gozo about it, Kotaro headed toward the place where that machine was.
The machine modeled after the strongest demon slayer of all time—Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
…
"So, it's here."
A humanoid robot, with six arms, each holding a sword, built for battle. Though time had left its mark on the robot, Kotaro was impressed. The existence of a robot in this period was astonishing in itself, but the most impressive thing to Kotaro was its appearance.
The robot looked like Yoriichi himself, except for those extra arms. No wonder its name was Yoriichi Type Zero.
"The name is futuristic, too. Type Zero? Was the person who built it a reincarnator or something?"
Otherwise, Kotaro couldn't fathom how someone could make such a robot. But he hadn't come here to admire it—he was here to fight it.
If he couldn't even beat this, he should forget about surviving, or even participating in the final battle.
Kotaro used the wooden three-section staff several times, getting a bit more accustomed to it. Now that he felt the weapon becoming more familiar in his hand, he turned toward the battle robot.
"Yosh. Let's do this."
Then he realized, in his excitement, he'd forgotten that the battle robot didn't start on its own. Yoriichi Type Zero needed a key to activate, and that key was with the kid whose ancestors built this robot.
"Do I have to call that kid?"
Honestly, Kotaro didn't want to. Whatever the kid's name was, Kotaro was certain that if he asked, the boy wouldn't give him the key.
After all, Kotaro knew all too well how annoying that kid was.
Now, would he have to go pamper that kid into giving him the key? No! His pampering was reserved for his wife and his own kids!
"There's no other choice!"
Kotaro stopped fidgeting with his hair and decided to use the approach Muichiro had used. Never in his life had Kotaro thought he'd have to do this, but now it was time to bully a kid.
…
Kotetsu.
That's his name.
His father had died early, leaving him an orphan. All he had left was this key, a family heirloom passed down from his ancestors.
Holding the key, Kotetsu once again walked toward the battle robot to study and repair it, for the sake of his family.
It didn't take him long to reach the place. But this time, instead of the lone battle robot, there was another figure standing before it.
Kotetsu quickly hid, watching what the man was doing here.
"Hmm… This doesn't seem to work at all. Should I break it?"
What? Break the robot? This can't happen!
Kotetsu stepped out of the bushes and shouted loudly, intending to protect the old robot from this bad human.
"You! Don't touch it!"
Kotetsu ran between Kotaro and Yoriichi Type Zero, trying to put some distance between them.
Seeing the person he'd been waiting for, Kotaro's eyes glinted with mischief. Finally, the kid was here. Kotaro had noticed him hiding in the bushes earlier.
So, he'd purposely said, "Should I break it?" to lure the kid out. Now that he was here, the key was as good as his!
"Who are you, kid?"
Cracking his neck, Kotaro looked down at the boy with a dark expression, intimidating him. Now, he was Kotaro Kenshin, the bully!
His actions seemed to work. Tears began to form in Kotetsu's eyes, though he was still quite brave.
"This thing is mine! D-Don't touch it!"
"Oh~ Is this thing yours? Then… do you know how to make it work?"
Though there was a smile on Kotaro's face, all Kotetsu could see was the face of a demon—no, something worse than a demon!
But… he was braver than most people!
Kotetsu gripped the key more tightly, refusing to let it slip from his hands.
"I won't give you the key at any cost. Even if you torture me, I won't give it up!"
"Is that so? Then…"
Kotaro stretched out his hands, wiggling his fingers to scare the nine-year-old kid.
"It's time to test your resolve."
"W-Wait! No! Eek!"
And the torture began.
…
After enough tickling, Kotetsu lay on the ground, laughing and crying at the same time—the result of Kotaro's "torture."
Kotaro looked at the key in his hand and smiled.
"Heh! The key is mine."